Slow cookers

Natasha2, quick question. Do you brown your meat off first. I know in some books it just tells you to put everything in the pot and switch it on, if you brown the meat first it not only speeds up the cooking time but it adds flavour and you get a nice cooked smell like if you do a casserole on the hob or in the oven.

Would agree with others to check it out as it shouldn't have an unpleasant smell, just the nice smell of cooking food. I love using mine, going out then coming home to the kitchen smelling of yummy food.

Have tried it both ways, browning and non.  

I've realised that the cooking pot when it's empty has the smell that permeates the whole house so for now I've left some lemon juice inside just to see if that helps.  Not really expecting   any improvement.

Its got put to the back of the cupboard again!!

Natasha2, quick question. Do you brown your meat off first. I know in some books it just tells you to put everything in the pot and switch it on, if you brown the meat first it not only speeds up the cooking time but it adds flavour and you get a nice cooked smell like if you do a casserole on the hob or in the oven.

Would agree with others to check it out as it shouldn't have an unpleasant smell, just the nice smell of cooking food. I love using mine, going out then coming home to the kitchen smelling of yummy food.

Have tried it both ways, browning and non.  

I've realised that the cooking pot when it's empty has the smell that permeates the whole house so for now I've left some lemon juice inside just to see if that helps.  Not really expecting   any improvement.

Its got put to the back of the cupboard again!!

 

That's a shame I wouldn't be without mine now, I have a small round one which I use just for the 2 of us, it has a pot inner, I take away in the van in the colder weather aswell. I also have a bigger one from one of the big supermarkets its inner is non stick metal so I can brown things off in that then put it straight into the cooker bit for the slow cooking, this one is big enough for 4-6 portion depending on what it is I'm cooking.

Well that was interesting. I put "slow cooker" into the main search engine and it came up with a list of CLs. So I tried again and put "slow cooker" into the search at the top of the Food and Drink Section and it produced good results. Maybe lost threads can be more easily found this way?

Anyway, I saw this on the BBC. A Christmas dinner with a slow cooker. 

There is something wrong with your slow cooker or the food u are cooking. It should only smell of the food you are cooking. 

My wife hates cooking smells so we use our slow cooker in our integral garage at home.  We have used it very successfully in the caravan awning placed on the ground rather that a groundsheet.  Last year we did that in Scotland in almost freezing temperatures and it worked really well, the best part being that my wife was not bothered by it.

You could always try a MR D's thermal cooker Natasha. No smell from that till you open it up! Excellent on the caravan!

Has anyone used an electric instant pot in the caravan?  They slow cook, pressure cook, cook rice etc all in the same pot.  I bought one to test at home this winter and will definitely be using it in the caravan.  You can't smell the food when it is cooking and it is brilliant for both slow cooking and pressure cooking.

I haven't seen one of those Cambia. I have to confess I don't take much with me in the way of "cooking" things but I like to smell food cooking if I do,  it sounds like a good idea.

Dammit,  all  I  ever  smell  when  I'm  cooking  is

===>>  CALORIES   

Cambia you didn't mention that they don't hiss and steam like the normal pressure cooker!  (Mine has a moisture collection point).  As long as they are gentle on amps I think they would be great in caravan.  I too have been trying one out at home